There is very little data on the background and circumstances of women in the criminal justice system, and more research is needed to understand the characteristics of women who come into conflict with the law.

The Bangkok Rules explicitly encourage research in particular into:

the characteristics of women who come into contact with the criminal justice system

why women offend

the impact of mothers’ imprisonment on children

the impact of imprisonment on women

the most effective means of supporting women to build positive, self-supporting lives

The research sought to gather information about women prisoners such as:

age, number of children, educational level and economic status and previous work background

whether there is a history of drug dependency, alcoholism or previous victimisation

what offences the women have been charged or convicted for, including the length of pre-trial or prison sentence and whether the women had access to legal representation during the criminal procedure

what has led to the offence and the consequences women have experienced as a result of their conviction and imprisonment

what women prisoners themselves say will help them to build a new life upon release.

The report findings provide important facts and figures illustrating national and regional characteristics of female offenders. A clearer picture about the female prison population should enable states and other stakeholders to identify priority areas where women offenders will benefit most from changes to law, policies and practice and will provide crucial information on the kind and design of measures needed in each country/region.

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